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OFA supports proposed revision of business risk management programs at FPT meeting (2017)

May 15, 2017

There’s still work to do on Canada’s next agricultural policy framework,  and Minister Leal raised important concerns within the business risk management portion of the program in the May 10 Federal-Provincial-Territorial meeting of agricultural ministers.

“Minister Leal stood up for farmers across Canada when he proposed the necessary review of business risk management programs,” says Keith Currie, President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). “Risk management is an integral part of running a sustainable farm business. We need a new program design to address shortcomings in the current suite of programs.”

The next agricultural policy framework is scheduled to be presented in July at the next meeting of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial agricultural ministers. Agricultural groups across Canada, including OFA, have been requesting a review and revision of the business risk management programs before the final program is presented. The next agricultural policy framework will contain initiatives including business risk management programs, innovation and research, market development, environmental sustainability and climate change. National farm organizations are solidly behind Minister Leal’s proposal to delay the inclusion of new business risk management programs in the next agricultural policy framework until sufficient changes are made to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers across Canada.

“We need to review and reform what we already have before we can move forward with any new risk management programs,” says Currie.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is the largest general farm organization in Ontario, representing 36,000 farm families across the province. As a dynamic farmer-led organization based in Guelph, the OFA works to represent and champion the interests of Ontario farmers through government relations, farm policy recommendations, research, lobby efforts, community representation, media relations and more. OFA is the leading advocate for Ontario’s farmers and is Ontario’s voice of the farmer.

Source: OFA